SDPD identifies cop who fatally shot man

ESCONDIDO  The San Diego police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man who claimed to have explosives and a gun while holding a driver hostage during a pursuit into Escondido was identified Wednesday as Officer Richard Butera, a SWAT team member.

Butera, an 11-year veteran of the department, shot Aaron Devenere, 27, Sunday about 7:40 a.m., two minutes after the Toyota pickup he was riding in came to a stop near Country Club Lane and Interstate 15, homicide Lt. Mike Hastings said.

The pursuit started about 7 a.m. after a San Diego police officer noticed the truck had an expired registration and stopped the pickup’s female driver on Aero Drive near I-15 in Kearny Mesa.

There was an “aggressive confrontation” between the officer and Devenere, who got out of the pickup, police said.

Devenere got back in the truck and the woman started driving north on I-15. The driver was Devenere’s cousin, according to his aunt.

During the nearly 40-minute chase, Devenere called 911 and repeatedly told dispatchers he would shoot the driver if she stopped. He also said he would “break her fingers” if she pulled over.

Escondido Police Lt. Neil Griffin said that Devenere had one arm around the driver’s head and the other near her rib cage when Butera, who feared for the woman’s safety, fired the fatal shot with a .308-caliber bolt-action rifle. Griffin said the weapon is often used by SWAT team members in a sniper role.

Devenere died at the scene.

The driver, who has not been identified, was treated and released from a hospital for a sprained finger.

Investigators did not find a gun or explosives in the truck. Knives were found in the truck bed.

Butera, a patrol officer, is on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.